Method and apparatus for use in connection with the making of sound records



Dec. 15, 1931.

R. H. TOWNSEND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAKING OF SOUND RECORDS Filed Jan. 18, 1929 mmmmllllillUlluunmm uncommon mfi W W U W U W D M U W 0 M 0 \W W 0 WW U W U W U U Wn 0 W U W 0 WU U WU m U W U 0 W k H IN V ENTOR.

A T T ORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPH H. 'IUWNOEND, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 'IO PARAMOUNT IPUBLIX CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK HETHODAN D APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAKING OF SOUND RECORDS Application filed January 18, 1829. Serial No. 333,493.

This invention relates to an apparatus for use in connection with the making of sound records, that is both in the original recording of the sound and in the printing of records from the original negative. More specifically, this invention is directed to the making of sound records wherein the sound is recorded on the light sensitive surface of a flexible support, such as a film.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a method and apparatus for use in the making of sound records both in the original recording and printing, whereby a sound record or sound track is produced which has a tapered portion or tapered portions lengthwise thereof and lengthwise of the length of the film or other flexible sup porting surface for the track. a

A still further object ofmy invention is the provision of a method and apparatus for use in connection with the making, i. a, original recording or printing, as the case may be, of sound records in which'two tapered sound tracks are produced on the light sensitive surface of a flexible support, these tracks being tapered lengthwise of the film or other supporting surface and in opposed directions. In other words one track is of normal width at one portion thereof, gradually tapering to zero lengthwise of the track as well as of the film or other supporting surface, while the other track is tapered in the opposite direction.

More specifically, my invention provides a method of and apparatus for the making of sound records wherein two sound tracks are produced upon the light sensitive surface of a flexible support, such as a film, the tracks being tapered and superimposed or overlapped.

A still further object of my invention is the production ,of a sound record or sound track of such construction that on reproduction the sound recorded will gradually increase or decrease in volume, depending upon the direction in which the track is' moving,

and if desired build up again to maximum volume.

A further extension or refinement of-my invention provides a composite track comployed in the practice decreases at the same time that the sound from the other track increases.

It will be appreciated that by my invention effects in sound can be produced comparable to the effects produced by dissolves in moving picture projection.

Various types of apparatus may be em 0 my improved method, one form of apparatus which I have found practicable being illustrated in the accompanying drawings. I I

It is. to be understood that the sound record produced b my improved method and apparatus may carried on its own flexible support or it may be carried on or at one side of a standard motion picture film of the type in which the motion picture frames are at one portion of the film and the sound track on the same film at one side thereof In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating my improved method and apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a more detailed view of the apparatus; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view representing a flexible support such as a motion picture film with my improved sound record or track thereon.

Fig. 4 is a lan view similar to Fig. 3 showin another orm of sound track.

eferring to the drawings in detail, 1 desisgnates a light source, sound-controlled. uch a light source is shown for example in Patent No. 1,446,246 of February 20, 1923. 2 designates a flexible support havin a light sensitive surface on which the soun is to be recorded in the ori inal recording of the sound. In practice t e member 2 may be the usual film employed in the making of or used in connection with motion pictures and supporting the sound track alone or the sound vimages and motion picture ima es. Ordisupport 2, during recording, i. e., while making the exposure, or while making a print from an ordinary sound negative, it being understood of course in the latter case the light source 1 is not sound-controlled. This aperture varying means in the present invention takes the form of an iris shown more or less diagrammatically at 3, no attempt having been made to illustrate the details of construction of this iris inasmuch as the same is well known. In practice this iris, as above mentioned, is interposed between light source 1 and support 2 and the aperture 3' thereof is varied in size as will be explained presently so as to var the area of the exposure on support 2. A jacent the iris 31 provide a plate 4 having an elongated aperture 4' therein.

The aperture' is adapted to be varied by movement of a lever 5 as is usual in iris constructions which will effect a variation of the area of the aperture in the plate 4 as will be readily understood. According to my method, however the lever 5 is attached to armatures 6 and 7 of two electromagnets 8 and 9, respectively, these magnets receiving power from a battery 10, for instance, the circuits of the magnets bein controlled conveniently by a switch 11 and the magnets being so wound and the switch 11 being so arranged that but one magnet is energized at a time and so that the armature 6 under the action of its magnet will be pulled in one direction while energization of the other magnet will pull armature 7 in the opposite direction.

For instance, energizing of the magnet 8 will cause the armature 6 thereof to move to the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, to draw the, lever 5 of the iris in the same direction, thereby to enlarge the aperture 3, while deenergizing of this magnet 8 and energizing the magnet 9 will move the armature 7 of the latter to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, to move the lever 5 of the iris correspondingly, thereby to decrease the area of aperture 3' of the iris. The connection between lever 5 and the armatures 6 and 7 may be by way of rods 12 and 13, respectively. I A

In order that the movement of the armatures 6 and 7 ma be uniform the same are I controlled by das pots which may take the is sound-controlled, when recording as distinguished from printing and alight sensitive surface such as the surface of a moving picture film, this apparatus being provided with an aperture adapted to be uniformly varied in area, thereby to correspondingly uniformly vary the exposed area on the flexible support 2 at each side of the center line thereof to produce on the support 2 a tapered exposure. v

In operation, for instance in the recording of sound and assuming that the film support '2 is moving upwardly as viewed in Fig. 1

the light source 1 being sound-controlled, it will be obvious that as the support 2 moves upwardly an exposure 16 will be made on the support and if the magnets 9 be energized to gradually decrease the size of area of the aperture 3 in the iris 3 the width of the exposed area or track 16 on the support 2 will gradually decrease, until it reaches zero, at each side of the center line to produce a tapered track. I have designated in Fig. 3 the track 16 as beginning to decrease in area, i. e., width at about 17 and decreasing to zero at the point 18. If desired, depending upon the type of record being made, this may conclude the recording operation or the printing operation, as the case may be, and on reproduction it is obvious that if thesupport 2. is moved in the same. direction as on the recordin of the sound the volume of sound repro need will decrease from maximum at 17 to zero at 18. The film or support may continue its ourney and the aperture 3' gradually be increased up to maximum, resulting in a sound track tapering from zero at 18 to maximum at 21 as shown in Fig. 3 in which event, on reproduction the soundwould uniformly decrease to zero and then uniformly increase to maximum. On the other hand as illustrated in Fig. 4 the support 2 may be moved in the same direction as before to produce a track 16' beginning to decrease in width at about 17' and decreasing to zero at about 18. The support is then reversed to its original position with the iris aperture 3' stopped down to zero. The magnet 8 then being energized and i the film again moving in the same direction as originally the aperture 3' will gradually increase and a second track designated 20 will be pro-' duced in superimposed relation to the track 16', this second track, glue to the fact that the aperture 3' is gradually increasing in area,

increasing in width gradually ,at each side of the center line thereof until maximum width is obtained at 21', for example, or it may be exactlyabreast of the point '18.

Consequently on reproduction employing a record as shown in Fig. 3 it will be apparent that the track 16 will reproduce maximum volume to start with, the reproduction from this track gradually decreasing in volume to zero andthen building up to maximum, or

if the record of Fig. 4 be employed where track 20 is used also, the sound recorded by this track will also be reproduced, the volume of sound reproduced from this track 20 gra dually increasing'as the volume from track 16' decreases. This enables effects in sound to be produced on reproduction comparable to effects produced in the projection of motion pictures where the intensity of one scene may diminish simultaneously with a diminish of intensity of another scene being projected on the same screen at the same time.

Obviously this invention provides great possibilities so far as the use thereof in connection with the projecting of motion pictures is concerned where so-called dissolves are employed, enabling music or other recorded sounds to be reproduced so far as volume is concerned in conformity with the pictures being projected.

It is to be clearly understood, as above pointed out, that the present invention is for use not only in the recording of sound wherein the light source 1 is soundcontrolled but also in printing from a normal sound track record. In such case the same apparatus and procedure are employed asI have described above, except that the light source 1 would in that instance not be sound-controlled. The appended claims, therefore, are to be interpreted with this understanding.

It is evident that various modifications may be made in the construction above described within the purview' of this invention.

What I claim is:-

1. In the making of sound records the method which comprises projecting light rays through an aperture onto a moving light sensitive surface, controlling said light rays in accordance with the sound being recorded, and gradually varying the size of the aperture to make an. exposure gradually varyin in area at each side of the center line of the light sensitive area;

' 2. In the making of sound records the method which comprises projecting light rays from a light source through an aperture onto a moving light sensitive surface, controlling said light rays in accordance with the sound being recorded, and gradually varying the size of the aperture to make an exposure gradually varying in area at each side of the center line of the light sensitive surface.

3. In the making of sound records the method which comprises projecting light rays through an aperture onto a moving light sensitive surface, controlling said rays, in accordance with the sound being recorded, while gradually varying the area of said aperture to make an exposure gradually varying in area at each side of the center line of the light sensitive surface, returning the film to its original position and then moving the same forward again while varying the area i of the aperture reversely to the first-mew" tioned variation.

4. Apparatus for making sound records comprising in combination an iris, a light source so disposed that light rays from said light source will pass through the aperture in said iris, means for controlling said rays in accordance with the sound to be recorded, and means for effecting a gradual uniform variation in the area-of the aperture in said iris.

5. Apparatus for making sound records comprising in combination a light source, an iris, said iris and light source being so disposed relativelythat light rays from said light source-pass through the aperture in said iris, means for controlling. said rays in accordance with the sound being recorded, an arm attached to said iris for varying the area of the aperture therein, and electroma nets having their armatures attached to said lever, one of said electromagnets being adapted to move said lever in one direction to decrease the area of the aperture in said iris, the other 'electromagnet being adapted to move thelever in the opposite direction to vary the area of the aperture in said iris in reverse direction.

6. Apparatus for making sound records comprising in combination a light source, an iris, said light source and iris being so disposed relatively that rays from said light source pass through the aperture in said iris, means for controlling said lightrays in accordance with the sound tobe recorded, a

, lever arm attached to said iris for varying the area of the aperture therein, electromagnets operatively connected to said lever, one of said magnets being adapted to move the lever in one direction, the other to move said lever in the opposite direction, whereby'said aperg ture in the iris is varied in area In a direction dependent upon the electromagnet being operated and 'dashpots operatively connected to said electromagnets, whereby the variation in area of said aperture is made gradual and. uniform.

This specification signed this 16 day of January, 1929. v i

- RALPH H. TOWNSEND. 

